Package banding tools



May 16, 1967 Filed July 22, 1964 O. V. LANGFORD ETAL PACKAGE BANDINGTOOLS Sheets-Sheet 1 y 1967 o. v! LANGFORD ETAL 3,319,666

PACKAGE BANDING TOOLS Filed July 22, 1964 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 1957 o. v.LANG-FORD ETAL 3,319,666

PACKAGE BANDING TOOLS Filed July 22, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 PM W;

(7M n W United States Patent Ofl ice 3,319,666 PACKAGE BANDING TOOLSOswald Victor Langfor-d and Robert David Sansum, London, England,assignors to Seal-Less Strapping Limited, London, England, a corporationof Great Britain 1 Filed July 22, 1964, Ser. No. 384,471 Claimspriority, application Great Britain, Aug. 14, 1963, 32,081/ 63 8 Claims.(Cl. 140-932) This invention relates to tools for binding packages and,in particular, to such a tool of the type essentially comprising meansfor tensioning a loop of flexible material around the package, and ajointing unit for then interconnecting the overlapping portions of saidmaterial.

A tool with these essential features is set forth for example in PatentNo. 3,035,814, with a suitable motor for powering the tensioning means,and it is an object of the present invention to power such a tool moreextensively.

The present invention therefore enables the power output of the toolmotor to be directed alternatively either to the tensioning means or tothe jointing unit, under manual control of the operator. A tool inaccordance with the invention comprises a motor which provides areversible drive transmitted through oppositely-acting freewheelingclutches to the tensioning means and the jointing unit and a control forcausing operation of said drive alternatively in either direction andthereby actuating said tensioning means or said jointing unit withoutthe other, through its respective clutch. For this purpose the motor maybe of any suitable reversibly rotatable type and the control need bemerely for starting and stopping said motor in either direction.

The motor, when driving the tensioning means, may be self-stopping inface of the resistance offered by the full tension required, and saidmeans 'is preferably capable of holding any applied tensionindependently of said motor. A motor which is pneumatic and capable ofremaining in operation until it stalls when this tension is attained,simply by keeping it in connection with its source of com ressed air,can conveniently be used for this purpose, and may be of the vane androtor or fin turbine types.

The jointing unit preferably includes means for severing the flexiblematerial from the part thereof on which the tensioning means isoperative and the actuation of said unitmay be such that an operatingcycle thereof merely has to be initiated and then left to finishautomatically.

It the motor is pneumatic and reversible, its operation can be effectedin an especially simple and convenient manner by means of a single valvecontrolling the air supply to this motor in its respective directions ofrota-' tion. Thus, such a control valve needs merely to be held open inone sense to cause such rotation in the direction, and for as long asrequired, for tensioning, preferably as shown by the consequent stallingof the motor, and then to be'opened in another sense to cause rotationin the reverse direction, for jointing. Said valve is preferably adaptedto be opened in such a way as merely to initiate the rotation requiredfor jointing, followed immediately by release of said valve so that itcloses, for which purpose it may be associated with a by-pass controlledby an auxili-ary valve which is automatically opened by the jointingunit at the beginning and closed thereby at the end of its operatingcycle.

A- typical pneumatically operated tool in accordance with the inventionwill next be described in fuller detail by way of example, as shown inthe accompanying drawings whereof:

3,319,666 Patented May 16, 1967 FIGURE 1 is a sectional elevation fromthe front i.e. looking at the face of the tool into which the strip isloaded as shown, omitting the front cover plate, the control valve andthe manual lever of the anchoring gripper;

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevation of the tool with the control valve leverpositioned for tensioning and showing some parts omitted or broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a similar rear elevation with the control valve leverpositioned for actuation of the jointing device and with parts omittedor broken away differently;

FIGURES 3A and 3B are end elevations in the direction of the arrows 3Aand 3B of FIGURE 3 respectively; and

FIGURES 4A to 4C are similar sections of the control valve in its threeoperating positions, viz. those respectively for tensioning, forinitiating the operation of the jointing unit with the auxiliary by-passvalve opened, and in neutral after this auxiliary valve has closedautomatically to terminate the jointing operation.

In this embodiment the tool is adapted for operating with metal strip asthe flexible material and its arrangement is generally similar to thataccording to our prior Patent No. 3,035,814 already mentioned.

However instead of the dies of the jointing unit for sealing andsevering the strip being actuated in the required sequence by means of apair of oppositely swinging manual levers, they are here operated from asingle drive shaft 10, which shaft may, as shown, conveniently be thatof the eccentric 11 for lowering the first die 12 to be operated, andgeared to the shaft 13 of the eccentric 14 of the second die 15 carryingthe severing blade 16 on its tensioning side. The unit is thus adaptedfor unidirecional rotatable actuation for the purpose of the presentinvention, through a fin al gear 17 of a drive from the motor 18, whichgear can again conveniently :be on the same shaft 10.

The tensioning means of Patent No. 3,035,814 is here also adapted forsimilar actuation by replacement of its reciprocable gripper by aunidirectionally rotatable serrated wheel 19 capable of being manuallyraised from an associated anvil 21? on the base 21 of the tool forinsertion of the strip part S1 to be tensioned and also, if necessary,for its subsequent removal. The tensioning means is in other respectsessentially unaltered and as before includes a gripper 22 for holdingthe applied tension between said wheel and the jointing unit, whichholding gripper is here sufiiciently released to permit theaforementioned removal of the strip by the sudden relaxation of tensionin the latter when it is severed. The required raising and lowering ofthe tensioning wheel 19 can be effected by mounting it together with anassociated final gear 23 on an upwardly swinging arm 24, the pivot 25 ofwhich arm (see FIG. 1) is coaxial with or, as shown, sufliciently nearthe axis of the next gear 26 (see FIG. 2), through which the drive fromthe motor is transmitted, to ensure that these gears always remainwholly or sufiiciently in mesh. Said arm can thus be swung upwardly byan appropriate manual lever 27 against a spring 28 strong enough to urgesaid wheel into operative engagement with the strip.

The unidirectional motor of Patent No. 3,035,814 is here replaced by areversible one whose output is connected through a driving gear train tothe aforementioned final gears 17 and 23' of the jointing unit and thetensioning wheel respectively, which train can conveniently be common toboth, up to the aforementioned gear 26. For the purpose of ensuring thatthe rotation of the motor is then transmitted only to the jointing unitin one direction and only to the tensioning wheel in the otherdirection, each of said final gears includes an appropriately actingfree-wheeling clutch 17a and 23a which can con veniently be of ratchettype.

The required control of the motor for causing rotation thereof inopposite directions consists of a valve generally denoted by reference29 which can conveniently be mounted on the side of the motor above theaforementioned drive shaft of the jointing unit. This valve may consistof a rotatable core 30 fitted with a manual lever 31 and capable oftaking up any of three positions. In the first of these positions (seeFIGS. 2 and 4A) the valve connects one port 32 to the motor with asupply of compressed air through inlet 33 and another port 34 withexhaust 35: and in the second position (see FIGS. 3 and 4B) connectssaid other port 34 to said air supply inlet and said first port 32 withsaid exhaust; both ports being closed in the third intermediate neutralposition (see FIG. 40). It should be noted that the actual connectingpipes between these ports and the motor are omitted from the drawings.

The actuation of the valve 29 between this neutral position and itsfirst position, i.e. that for causing rotation of the motor in thedirection to turn the tensioning wheel 19, is preferably fully positiveso as to permit feeling by the operator of the stalling of the rnotorconsequent on completion of tensioning, the limit of which can be set byan adjustable relief valve 36 in the passage from the rotatable core 30to the first port 32.

The valve-29" is however preferably biassed by suitable spring means 37from its second position, i.e. that for causing rotation of the motor inthe direction to actuate the jointing device, back into said neutralposition, to permit mere momentary opening of the valve in this sense,followed by release thereof for return to neutral, thereby enabling saidactuation of the jointing device to be just initiated by the operatorand then to be completed automatically. An auxiliary spring-loaded valve38 for this purpose controls a by-pass passage 39 in the valve casing,between the air supply inlet 33 and the port 34, and is actuated by acam 40', against preferably on the aforementioned drive shaft 10 of thejointing unit, so as to open said bypass passage when said unit startsto operate (see FIG. 4B) and to remain open under the influence of saidcam until the latter permits it to close and thereby terminate theoperating cycle of the unit.

The free end S2 of the strip is anchored, as in accordance with PatentNo. 3,035,814, by means of a holding gripper 41 on the base 21 of thetool, on the same side of the jointing unit as the tensioning means,which gripper is closed by means of a manual lever 42 but may be thrownopen automatically by means of another cam 43 on the drive shaft 10,which thrusts on said lever through a plunger 44 during the final partof the operation of said unit.

We claim:

1. A tool for binding packages, of the type set forth, comprising areversible rotating power-driven element, tensioning means, jointingmeans, a pair of oppositely-acting free-wheeling clutches, one of whichoperatively connects said tensioning means to said power-driven elementand the other of which operatively connects said jointing means to saidpower-driven element, and control means for causing rotation of saidpower-driven element alternatively and selectively in either direction,whereby said tensioning means will be actuated independently of saidment and reversible to effect reversing of said element.

3. A tool in accordance with claim 2 wherein said motor is self-stoppingin face of the resistance oiferedby the full tension required and saidtensioning means is adapted to hold an applied tension independently ofsaid motor.

4. A tool in accordance with claim 2 wherein said motor is pneumatic andsaid control means includes a single valve controlling the air supply tosaid motor in jointing means when said control means causes saidpowerdriven element to rotate in one direction, and said jointing meanswill be actuated independently of said tensioning means when saidcontrol means causes said power driven element to rotate in the oppositedirection.

2. A tool in accordance with claim 1 and including a motor operativelyconnected to said power-driven eleits respective directions ofoperation, whereby said control valve may be operated in one position tocause said motor to operate in one direction for tensioning, and saidcontrol valve may be operated in another position to cause the motor tooperate in the reverse direction for jointing.

5. A tool in accordance with claim 2, wherein the motor is pneumatic andcapable of remaining in operation until it stalls when the requiredtension is attained, by keeping it in connection with its source ofcompressed air.

6. In a tool for binding packages of the type set forth, said toolhaving tensioning means and jointing means, an improvement comprising areversible pneumatic motor, a pair of oppositely-acting free-wheelingclutches driven by said motor and operatively connecting said motor tothe tensioning means and the jointing means, respectively, a singlecontrol valve controlling the air supply to said motor in itsrespectivedirections of operation, means urging said control valvetoward a closed position, said control valve being adapted to be openedto initiate an operating cycle of said jointing means, and meansassociated with said valve for permitting said operating cycle toproceed to completion automatically after it has been initiated.

7. A tool in accordance with claim 6 wherein the means associated withsaid control valve comprises a bypass air conduit to said motor, anauxiliary valve in said conduit, and means associated with said jointingmeans for opening said auxiliary valve at the beginning of the operatingcycle and for closing said auxiliary valve at the end of the operatingcycle.

8. In a tool for binding packages of the type set forth, said toolhaving tensioning means and jointing means, an improvement comprising areversible pneumatic motor, a pair of oppositely-acting free-wheelingclutches driven by said motor and operatively connecting said motor tothe tensioning means and the jointing means, respectively, a singlecontrol valve controlling the air supply to said motor in its respectivedirections of operation, whereby said control valve may be operated inone position to cause said motor to operate in one direction fortensioning, and said control valve may be operated in another positionto cause the initial operation of said motor in the reverse directionfor jointing, and means responsive to the operation of the jointingmeans for continuing the air supply to said motor until the jointingcycle has been completed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,900,238 3/ 1933Harvey .--93.2 2,257,090 9/1941 Childress 81-9.1 2,933,958 4/1960Kochler et al. 819.1 3,035,814 5/1962 Mosey et al. 254-511 3,198,2188/1965 Ericson et al. 819.1 X 3,232,217 2/1966 Harmon et al. 81-9.1 X

WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner.

1. A TOOL FOR BINDING PACKAGES, OF THE TYPE SET FORTH, COMPRISING AREVERSIBLE ROTATING POWER-DRIVEN ELEMENT, TENSIONING MEANS, JOINTINGMEANS, A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY-ACTING FREE-WHEELING CLUTCHES, ONE OF WHICHOPERATIVELY CONNECTS SAID TENSIONING MEANS TO SAID POWER-DRIVEN ELEMENTAND THE OTHER OF WHICH OPERATIVELY CONNECTS SAID JOINTING MEANS TO SAIDPOWER-DRIVEN ELEMENT, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR CAUSING ROTATION OF SAIDPOWER-DRIVEN ELEMENT ALTERNA-